章 25: Chapter 25 - The Edge of the World
The hum of the jet engines was a constant, low vibration beneath Eira's seat, filling the quiet cabin with an uneasy rhythm. She stared out the small window, the night stretching endless and dark beyond the glass, but her thoughts stayed trapped in the moment Caius had taken her hand and led her out of the ballroom.
She hated how it lingered—the weight of his touch, the steady way he'd commanded her to follow. Hated how it made her pulse quicken and her resistance falter. The bond thrummed faintly beneath her skin now, as if it were mocking her, reminding her that her defiance was as thin as glass.
Her gaze shifted toward Caius, his sharp silhouette framed by the low cabin lights. He sat with maddening calm, his golden eyes fixed on her with a quiet intensity that set her teeth on edge. He was always watching her, always waiting. She wanted to look away, to break the tension that seemed to coil tighter between them with each passing second. But she couldn't.
The bond wouldn't let her.
Her fingers curled into fists in her lap, her nails biting into her palms. The suffocating memory of the ballroom pressed against her chest—the whispers, the eyes, the weight of being on display. And now this. A private jet in the dead of night, whisking her away to who-knows-where at Caius's whim. It was surreal. Ridiculous.
"What are you thinking about?" Caius's voice broke the silence, smooth and low.
Eira blinked, startled by the sound, her gaze snapping back to him. He was leaning forward slightly now, his elbows resting on the arms of his chair. Though his tone was conversational, there was a sharpness to his gaze that made it clear he already had an idea of her thoughts.
She bit the inside of her cheek, considering a dozen responses before finally settling on one. "I was just wondering if you always operate this dramatically," she said, keeping her tone light. "Private jets and late-night escapes—it's a bit much, don't you think?"
His lips curved into a faint smile, though it didn't reach his eyes. "I don't believe in doing things halfway."
"No, really?" she muttered under her breath, turning her gaze back to the window.
The hum of the jet engines filled the cabin, steady and unyielding, like the tension crackling in the air between them. It seemed to stretch on forever, until Caius's gaze flicked to her, sharp and unrelenting. "You've been quiet since we left the castle," he observed, his voice calm but laced with curiosity. "No biting remarks? No protests?"
Eira arched a brow, turning her gaze from the window to meet his. "Maybe I'm just enjoying the silence," she said, her tone dry.
His lips quirked into a faint smile, but his golden eyes didn't waver. "Is that so? Or is it because you wanted to leave as much as I did?"
Her breath hitched, and she hated the way the bond pulsed faintly in her chest, as though it, too, demanded an answer. She looked back out the window, her fingers tightening against her lap. "I didn't exactly have a reason to stay."
"Neither did I," Caius murmured, his voice soft, but his words seemed to linger in the air between them.
Eira's chest tightened. She didn't want to think too much about the truth behind her decision to follow him. About how much of it was the bond. About how much of it was her.
"And where exactly are we going?" she asked, her voice cool, though the tension in her throat made it harder to keep it steady.
"To a place where you can finally breathe," Caius said, his golden eyes gleaming in the cabin light. "No eyes. No court. Just you and me."
The cabin seemed quieter after his words, the hum of the engines steady but distant. Eira glanced down at her lap, her hands clasped tightly together. The bond thrummed faintly beneath her skin, an ever-present reminder of the strange tether tying her to the man across from her.
She hated how his words lingered in her mind, how they made her chest tighten.
No eyes. No court. Just you and me.
It sounded almost freeing, and yet it felt like a chain.
Eira snorted softly, shaking her head. "You make it sound so noble, but I'm not sure I buy it. What's the catch?"
Caius leaned back in his seat, his golden eyes gleaming with faint amusement. "Do you always look for traps, or is it just with me?"
"With you," she said flatly. "It's definitely just with you."
For a moment, he said nothing, simply watching her with that maddening calm. Then he tilted his head slightly, his smile faint but unmistakably predatory. "Perhaps you're smarter than I gave you credit for."
Eira frowned, bristling at the remark. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?"
"A warning," Caius said, his tone shifting to something quieter, darker. "Smart lambs don't wander too far from their shepherd."
Eira arched a brow, forcing a dry laugh. "I'm starting to think this whole 'lamb' thing says more about you than it does about me."
The corner of Caius's mouth twitched, though his gaze didn't waver. "You don't like it?"
"No," she said bluntly, crossing her arms. "It's condescending."
His smile widened, sharp and deliberate. "It suits you."
Eira huffed, glancing back toward the window. "So, what? You're taking me to some remote cliff to keep me as your well-fed prisoner?"
"No cliffs," Caius replied easily, his voice softening. "But privacy is nonnegotiable. No one else will hear what's meant only for me."
Eira froze, her breath catching at the weight of his words. She hated the way her skin flushed, the way the bond seemed to pulse faintly in her chest as though responding to his voice. She clenched her fists against her lap, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a reaction.
"You're awfully sure of yourself," she said, her tone light but strained.
Caius's gaze burned into her, unyielding. "As are you, my little lamb."
The plane began to descend, the hum of the engines changing pitch. Eira leaned forward slightly, squinting out the window as the endless stretch of ocean gave way to the faint outline of an island. Its dark shores were bathed in silver moonlight, the silhouette of towering cliffs and dense forest casting long shadows over the water.
"An island," Eira said, her voice laced with disbelief. "You really weren't kidding."
Caius stood smoothly, extending a hand to her. His golden eyes gleamed in the soft cabin light, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Privacy is the only way to ensure you can breathe."
Eira hesitated, her pulse hammering against the chain at her throat. The word "breathe" felt like a taunt, but she placed her hand in his anyway, letting him guide her forward. His grip was firm, steady, and maddeningly sure.
Reluctantly, she followed him out of the jet. The cool night air wrapped around her like a cloak, sharp with the scent of salt and sea. The shadows of the cliffs loomed closer with every step, the sound of distant waves crashing against the rocks filling the air.
Caius's hand never left hers as he led her toward a waiting car. The bond pulsed faintly beneath her skin, a quiet rhythm she couldn't escape.
"Welcome to the edge of the world," Caius said softly as they climbed into the car. His words were meant to sound reassuring, but they left her chest tight. She glanced back toward the jet, the urge to turn back flickering faintly in her chest. But there was nowhere to go.
She hated that the thought wasn't entirely unpleasant.
The dark island loomed around her like something out of a dream—or a nightmare. As the car rolled forward, its headlights cutting through the forest, Eira kept her gaze fixed on the passing trees. She didn't trust herself to look at Caius.
"This doesn't feel like breathing," she murmured, almost to herself.
Caius leaned closer, the faintest brush of his voice against her ear. "Perhaps you'll find the air suits you here."
The car slowed as they approached a massive iron gate. Beyond it, she could make out the faint glow of light spilling through tall, arched windows. The silhouette of a mansion loomed against the cliffs, its shadow sharp and unyielding.
Caius stepped out first, his movements as calm and deliberate as ever. The faint crunch of gravel beneath his boots was the only sound in the quiet night as he turned back to her. Moonlight softened the sharp edges of his features, though his golden eyes still held that steady, unrelenting focus. He extended a hand toward her. "Welcome to my sanctuary."
Eira stayed seated for a moment, her pulse a steady drumbeat against the chain at her throat. The word sanctuary felt heavy, like a promise and a warning all at once. Her gaze shifted to the sprawling shadows of the cliffs and the faint, golden glow spilling from the mansion beyond. It wasn't comforting, but it wasn't suffocating either.
No court. No eyes. No whispers waiting to tear her apart.
Just him.
Slowly, she placed her hand in his. His grip was firm but warm, steady in a way that made her chest tighten. He helped her out of the car with an ease that sent an unwelcome flutter through her.
The night air wrapped around her like a cold embrace, carrying the crisp scent of salt and sea. She hadn't realized how tightly wound she'd been until the tension in her shoulders loosened, just slightly. The wind brushed against her face, sharp and clean, and for the first time in what felt like forever, she exhaled without restraint.
Caius's gaze didn't waver as he watched her, but he stayed silent, giving her a moment she didn't know she needed.
Her attention flicked to the mansion—its arched windows glowing faintly in the darkness, the shadow of its towering frame blending into the cliffs beyond. It should have felt ominous, but instead, it felt… quiet.
"You said I could breathe here," she murmured, her voice soft and uncertain.
"You can," Caius replied, his voice low, almost gentle. "No one will reach you here. No one will expect anything of you."
The words settled over her like a blanket, soothing the raw edges of her thoughts. She hated the way they made her chest ache, hated how they sounded too much like a freedom she couldn't believe was real.
But as she took a step forward, her fingers lingering briefly in his before letting go, she realized the air did feel lighter here. The weight of the bond was still there, faint and pulsing under her skin, but the sharp sting of the court was gone.
Eira hesitated at the base of the stone steps, her breath catching as she gazed up at the towering mansion. The faint crash of waves below and the distant hum of the forest should have made this place feel peaceful, yet Caius's presence beside her made it anything but.
This can't be a sanctuary, she thought, the words pressing against her ribs. Not with him here.
Caius wasn't just someone watching her—he was someone who saw her. Saw past the edges she tried to sharpen, past the walls she put up to protect herself. And that was the part that terrified her the most.
Her gaze flicked toward him, his tall frame silhouetted against the faint glow of the iron gates behind them. He hadn't spoken since they'd stepped out of the car, but his golden eyes remained sharp, watchful. Always watching. She hated it.
Or she thought she did.
Because the truth sat heavier in her chest than the weight of his gaze: because out here, with Caius, she didn't have to pretend. He wasn't demanding she smile like the court, wasn't trying to shape her into someone she wasn't. He wasn't safe—not in the way she thought sanctuary should feel—but he was steady. And that steadiness was maddeningly close to comfort.
She exhaled sharply, pressing her fingers against her temple as if to clear her thoughts.
This isn't freedom, she reminded herself, her fingers brushing the chain at her throat.
It's a gilded cage. A cage with fire at its center.
And yet, she couldn't deny the flicker of warmth beneath her ribs, the strange pull that had nothing to do with the bond.
He was a flame that burned too brightly, a dangerous warmth she couldn't look away from. It would consume her eventually, she knew that. But even hell had its allure, and perhaps it wasn't so terrible if they burned together.
The thought made her pulse quicken. What's wrong with me?
Caius's voice broke through her reverie, soft and calm as the night around them, reclaiming her hand with his. "This place is yours now, Eira. You don't have to fight here."
His words settled over her like a whisper, and she hated how they made her chest ache. But she didn't pull her hand away.
Because even though he was part of the chain that tethered her, he was also the only one who made her feel like she could still stand under its weight.
クリエイターの想い 
JadedButCute
JadedButCute This chapter marks a turning point—not because something explosive happens, but because the tension between Eira and Caius starts to shift into something quieter, heavier. The isolation of the jet strips away the distractions of the court and forces them into a rare moment of direct honesty. For once, there’s no audience, no game—just the two of them wrestling with the bond that pulls them closer and the walls that still keep them apart.
I wanted to show Eira’s conflicted thoughts here, especially as she begins to realize that Caius isn’t just a predator circling his prey. He’s something more dangerous: someone who sees her for who she is and refuses to let her retreat behind her defenses. And Caius? He’s far from perfect, but his actions and words hint at a deeper complexity, one that maybe even he hasn’t fully confronted yet.
What do you think? Does this quieter moment add to the tension? How do you feel about Caius’s idea of “freedom”? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
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